National Republican., 1887-10-10

Yankee Inventions In the Navy.

lNhbnlDgpOh correspondent ~. L. 1erdiu'
HERALD BUREAU, CORNER FIFTEENTH
AND STREETS NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON,
Sept. 81, SS7.-"The administration of the
Navy Department" said naval officer OF
high rank to day, "under Secretary Whit.
ney will be memorable for three things that
will redourd to his credit and the greater
honor Of the American navy.
"1he first is the building OF n!neteen-knot
cruisers, the designs for which, both In ma
chinery and bull, are to be distinctive Amer
lean. Cruiser No. will go into the navy
direct from the hands of the great ship
building firm Of Cramp & Co., In Pnila-
delphia, built upon their plans with en-
gines that promise to be marve,s OF power
and hull that will sustain the skill Of
American genius for building fast ships.
The plans for the hull aud machinery Of the
other cruiser are those OF the Navy De.
partment, which promise the highest credit
TO their designers. Between Cramp & Co.,
the builders Of many Of the steamships for
our merchant marine, and the builders Of
the other twin cruiser, results are promised
equally as interesting to the world as the
great yacht race between the Volunteer
and Thistle.
"The second prominent feature Of Secre-
tary WhitDey's administration will be the
adoption Of the pneumatic dynamite gun
and the building Of the dynamite cruiser by
Cramp 81 Co. Mr.. Whitney has already
said that he Is satisfied that this American
invention has not had to go abroad for its
first encouragement, for It has had It from
the Navy Department. thought when
heard him say that OF what the Herald
printed on the subject year ago when it
announced that the great naval constructor
Of the British navy, Sir Edward j. Reed,
had acknowledged that as Yankee inge-
nuity had invented the monitor with its
revolving turret, 1t had revolutionized naval
architecture throughout the world, and
had taught Great Britain how weak she
was for offensive and defensive warfare )
Them continued Mr.. Reed, we have
gladly followed in your footsteps. As there
seems to be no limit to Yankee ingenuity,
presume one of these days your people will
make another step In advance OF all the ma
tinns, and we ain will have to follow yo ir
example, The use Of high explosives las
already taken practical shape. Is II not
the step Mr.. Reed predicted our ingenuity
would next develop In naval warfare?
'1he third step was taken yesterday,
when Secretary Whitney ordered con-
tract to be made with the Pneumatic Gun
Carriage Company to build one eightinch
central pivot naval carriage and equip the
double turretted monitor Terror with car
riages, leaders, ventilators, refhgerators,
and steering gear, all to be worked by the
company's pneumatic system. The Terror
is now at Cramps ship yard, and is, per-
haps, the nearest completed Of the five
great monitors. The Importance of this
step is briefly told when 1t Is said that this
system will make these formidable vessels
as pleasant to serve on as the modern
cruisers can possibly be made, and, curl
ously enough, that which made this type
OF naval vessels 80 Objectionable to officers
and men--that is, the impossibility of VEN
tilation and comfort--having now been en-
tirely overcome, the probability Is that we
shall have o revival Of this class of vessels,
at least for the defense OF our seacoast and
harbors. The gun carriage to be built for
the navy ia identical In principle with the
one built under contract with Gen. Benet,
chief OF the army ordnance bureau, aud un-
der special appropriation by Congress. 1t
is now at Sandy Hook supporting
58 ton gun, and has long since
proved Its claim TO reliability In controlling
the heaviest siege guns that eau be mounted.
our guns is to be established In the navy
need only mention that plates OF the pneu-
matte gun carriages illustrating this prin-
oiple OF the check to the recoil by the use
Of air are now being Incorporated In the
text books on ordnance and gunnery to be
used at the naval academy.
"The adoption by Secretary Whitney OF
these three distinctive and important fea-
tures-Viz, nineteen-knot engines improved
means OF warfare and security In firing our
heavy guns, ali three. too, the product OF
American genius and inventive skill--en-
titles the Secretary to the gratitude Of every
friend OF the American navy"